Wandering Through Three (And a Half!) Countries

As I write this, I'm relaxing in my room with the window wide open listening to the birds singing up a storm outside because WINTER IS REALLY OVER! Hallelujah! My faint freckles are appearing again thanks to the sun and warmth that seem to have found their way back to Aachen. And naturally what else could spring truly springing bring other than a beautiful afternoon of hiking. Hiking through Germany, Belgium, Holland and what was formally known as "Neutral Moresnet" to be exact.

A Kodak Moment with my second hometown-- Aachen.

In the newspaper yesterday there was an article about this great hike to Dreiländereck (three country corner), so my host parents and I got out the ol' hiking boots and gave it a go. On the trail we saw at least six other groups with their trail master wielding the exact same article cut out and folded in that easy-to-read way. When we passed one another we'd kind of laugh/smile and give an understanding nod.

One more reason to read the local paper!

Throughout the hike we saw these stone markers with Roman numerals on them. During the Congress of Vienna when European borders were being divvied up, the Netherlands and Prussia could agree on who got most of the territories, except for the zinc-rich little sliver that is the province of Moresnet. Eventually it was declared a neutral territory and remained so until the first World War. The stone markers showed the borders between what was then Prussia, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and Moresnet.

Hello, Hundred Acre Wood of what was formerly Neutral Moresnet.

That means at one point this Dreiländereck was actually a Vierländereck (four country corner). When comparing the German-Belgium-Netherlands (-Neutral Moresnet) point to the other "four corners" I've visited, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah all powwow, there are about as many similarities as differences. For one, both have their fair share of flags. They both cater to lots of tourists and it's not unlikely to hear different languages, but whereas in the American Four Corners you'd find Spanish and English, at Dreiländereck there's German, Dutch, French and a smattering of English. Oh, and not to mention Dreiländereck is anything but a desert.

Don't look down. Don't look down. Don't look down...

It was fun viewing what is now my turf from the top of the Dreiländereck tower. "Ah, yes there is Vaals and Mastricht is over there a bit further. Preuswald is there, oh okay, I always see the bus in town that drives out there." Then looking out over Aachen, "There's the Klinikum, a bit of the dome, Jakobskirche, Lousberg lurking in the background..." Aachen really feels like my new, second home base. As we talked about these places I could visualize them and think about the experiences that go along with them. 

The official muscle pattern of signs that mark St. James's Way.

We also walked along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, one of the pilgrimage routes that leads to St. James the Great's shrine in northwestern Spain. A few years ago I saw this movie called The Way, which is a drama about some people who hike the main, Spanish part of the trail. I didn't expect to run into it, oh, almost 2,000 miles away here in Aachen! Although I'm not really seeking spiritual strength from St. James at the moment, if I had plenty of time and funds plus a good trail buddy or trail buddies, I'd totally backpack from Aachen to Spain. On a day like today, there's nowhere better than out on the trail. Spring's slowly sprouting out to be my favorite season.